Obtaining oil from shale.



F. G. SHHEVES.

osmmm olL FRWoM sHALE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25. IJIS.

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75 76 f/ /0 WHG/xeno 6 9 Patented Mar. 1I, 1919.

FREDERICK G. SHRWES,l 0F DENVER, COLORADO.`

OBTAINING OIL FROM SHALE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 25, 1918. Serial No. 219,082.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. SHREVES, a citizenof .the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denverand State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Obtaining Oil from Shale; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification.

The object of this invention is to improve the `apparatus for obtaining oil from shale so thatJ greater quantities of the shale may be handled and the various constituent hydrocarbons obtained from the rock separately instead of obtaining all at one time, which requires later separation into the various commercial grades of oil. A' further object of the invention is to greatly cheapen the handling of the material while obtaining a maximum output of oil.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view ofA my apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, showing the vapor trap between the various troughs.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1, particularly illustrating the method of heating the trou hs.

The shale whic is preferably finely ground or pulverized in order to render the obtaining of the oil from the rock less difficult, is placed in the bin 1 from which it descends to the pipe 2 into the rst trough 3 of the apparatus. There are a number of these troughs 3-.-7, depending upon the num- .ber of divisions of the oil that it is desired to make. These troughs are all exactly similar so that the description of one will suice for all. In the trough 3 which is preferably egg-Shaped or oval in shape with the lower portion 8 concentric with the axle 9 of the worm conveyer 10 which slowly conveysthc pulverized shale from one end of the trough to the other. The upper lpart of the trough forms a vapor dome 11, permitting the gaseous hydrocarbons to ascend in the trough, in opposite directionto that in which the shale is being forced partly by gravity and partly by the action of the worm conveyer. At the upper portion outlet 13 to convey the vaporized oil to a condenser 14 of the usual type in which the oil is reduced to a liquid stat/aand with- 12 of each ofthe troughs is an v the highest point of the trough irect to the condenser, butA in the first trough I find it ladvantageous to pass the vapor around the pipe 2 leading the crushed shale to the first or upper trough in order to gradually submit this powdered shale to heat. The various troughs are heated by electric heating means 16 which surround the trough to a point 17 about on a level with the top of the conveyer in order to provide maximum heat directly upon the powdered shale. It will be understood by those familiar with the art that means are also provided for heating the shale by means of gas as well as by the electric means shown. The gas means are ofthe usual type and are intended to utilize such of the vapors driven ofi' from the shale as cannot be condensed. By using electric resistance elements 18 for heating these troughs I am able to regulate the'heat on any trough independently of the temperature in the other troughs or chambers and at a maximum rapidity and in this way can control exactly the constituent of the oil which I take out in any step or trough, these various hydrocarbons differing from each other merely in their boiling point, it bein customary at the present time to consi er an oil containing various hydrocarbons having boiling points between certain definite figures as gasolene, irrespective of its exact chemical composition and then taking from that highest boiling point onward to another arbitrary point to denote kerosene, these terms unfortunately varying with the particular localities. By virtue of the rapidit with which I can change the heat to which the shale is subjected I can closely limit the gas being produced by any one step to such chemical composition as I may desire.

' Referring now to Fig. 2, the pipe conveying` the shale from one trough to another leads from the lower portion 19 of the upper trough around the side 20 of the lower trough and discharges at a pointQl to the side of the wormV conveyer, the urpose of this construction being to provi e a vapor trap so that the vaporized products from one Y step or trough will not pass to the trough above.

As is usual in devices of this nature I provide for passing steam through the vapor chambers of the various trou hs.. The steam is provided by any preferre generator and Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

passes through the pipes 22 as shown in the drawings, such pipes being provided with small orificesv 23 equispaced along their length. Preferably these steam pipes are concentric with the upper arc of the trough, though not necessarily so. The lower trough 7 drops the refuse from the system, as at 24.

Whatis claimed is:

l. In a retort, the combination with a plurality of chambers, a conveyer in each chamber, a vapor dome above each conveyer, a condenser connected with each vapor dome, heating means individual to each chamber, and means connecting certain of said chambers permitting passage of matter from an upper to a lower chamber but preventing passage-of matter from a lowerto an upper chamber.

2. A chamber fora multi-chambered shale retort, consisting of an elongated tube, a

Worm for conveying solid material in said tube, a vapor dome above the worm conveyer,means partially surrounding said conveyer for heating the solid material, and means for forcing the vapor generated in the Chamber in a direction opposite to that in which the solid material is moved.

3.*In a retort, a chamber consisting` of an elongated vapor-tight trough having its exit end at a point lower than its entrance end, means for heating the trough and generating gas from the solid material in said trough, means for driving the gas toward the entrance end, a tube leading from the entrance end, and a supply pipe for solid material in said tube, whereby the solid material delivered to the trough will be heated by the gases passing froml the trough.

FREDERICK G. SHREVES. 

